QuantumScape and PowerCo, the battery subsidiary of Volkswagen, unveiled a Ducati motorcycle powered entirely by solid-state batteries at the IAA Mobility 2025 show in Munich, marking a milestone in the move from laboratory development to real-world applications.
The modified Ducati V21L runs on QuantumScape’s QSE-5 anode-free solid-state cells, which were produced at the company’s San José pilot line using its proprietary Cobra process. It is the first time such cells have been integrated into a functional vehicle.
“Today we’ve crossed the threshold from possibility to reality,” said QuantumScape president Siva Sivaram. Ducati was selected as a demonstration partner to highlight the technology’s potential in high-performance applications.
According to QuantumScape, the QSE-5 cells can charge from 10% to 80% in about 12 minutes and deliver both high energy density and long cycle life. The company says the technology addresses two of the biggest challenges in electromobility: range and charging speed.
“Solid-state batteries will redefine what’s possible for high-performance, premium vehicles, and today’s historic demonstration is just the beginning,” PowerCo CEO Frank Blome said in Munich.
To speed up industrialisation, PowerCo will invest another $131 million in QuantumScape over the next two years. The funding, tied to progress on QuantumScape’s pilot production line, aims to scale output of anode-free solid-state batteries to the gigawatt-hour level. Volkswagen and Ducati are expected to be among the first brands to integrate the cells into future vehicles once production ramps up.